The Charles & Hunting "Alta" Combination Machine.
I thought everyone would like to see a trio of little combination Machines I have been working on for a couple of friends, two of the machines have been sandblasted and powder coated in Blue, the other which belongs to my Father is just getting the bearings done, Dad likes the original look of it as is.
I have known about these little combination machines since I was an apprentice Carpenter & Joiner in the 1980s the company I worked for had one set up just for doing groves in the bottom of bank draws in their joinery shop, as a Young Apprentice I lusted after one of these for many years, and they dont turn up for sale often.
Its only been since earlier this last year that they have been popping out of the woodworks, pardon the pun, I have seen three for sale this last year alone.
The Alta as they were called were made by Charles & Hunting, I believe they began Works at Sydenham Street Highett, Melbourne Victoria, in the Late 1940's, Their famous single pin Dovetailing machines started to appear in McPhersons (Tool and Machinery Dealers in Australia) catalogue's as early as 1955.
C&H Made a wide variety of machines including Shapers, horizontal Borers twin and single, Dovetail machines, Table saws, Combination Machines, sanding machines, etc.
C&H Made (in my opinion) one of the best small combination machines in Australia, these little Alta combination machines appeared in the 1960s anniversary McPhersons Catalogs. (1860 to 1960).
The whole unit had two Rubber wheels under the base so It was very mobile around the work shop.
If you were a Carpenter in the 50s and 60s doing a lot of estate work say fit out and finish it was not unusual to see a machine like this out on site set up in the house being worked on, they were perfect for ripping timber or planing the edge of a door. As a Carpenter these were a luxury, one of the extra attachments was a grinder that bolted on the table, perfect for sharpening chisels on the Job. (see Pic below)
Sporting a 25 X 21 cast iron saw table and a 12 inch blade size, fine adjustment fence and a 17 X 11 Dowelling Table below one side and a choice of two sizes of 6 inch Jointer with a 3 blade cutter-head, Model A 34 long table and Model B 48 in length.
From what I know C&Hs woodworking Machinery line ran its course some time around 1965 selling their machinery designs to South Australian firm Wood-Fast and the firm going on to concentrate on its line of variable speed motors some of which they supplied to L.S.Barker woodworking machinery in North Melbourne and later Waterdale Road Heidelberg, for the feed system on their thicknessers.
I recall an abrasive flap wheel sander with a varable speed motor for sanding moldings where I did my apprenticeship that was also made by C&H around the early 1980s.
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Melbourne Matty.
Melbourne Matty
But wait ! There's more.....
All the Alta machines I have come across have had the fine adjustment broken and welded/brazed back together, it took me a while to work out why but until you have owned one and moved it around you don't realize how heavy they are.
There are two small rubber wheels built in under the machine and when they are in a stationery position are very stable unit, it's not until you lift at one end and go to push that it is then they become unstable and can topple over, for some reason they always land on the fine adjuster side of the saw, many a swear word has been said when this happens.
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The Alta's have a beautiful little horizontal boring table to one side of the machine, there is a height adjustment via the saw blade rise and fall, the chuck is just a half inch hole with a grub screw, and the table folds down out of the way by removing a tapered pin arrangement.
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The motor arrangement is very interesting, the Alta utilizes a duel shaft motor to run both the buzzer and saw at the same time, earlier Alta combinations had a single belt arrangement to the 12 inch saw but later models had a twin belt set up and always a single belt to the 6 inch planer, Motors ranged from 240 volt and 415 volt, 1 HP to 2 HP.
It is possible to retro fit a larger modern 3 HP single Phase motor to these machines, as we purchased one with no Motor, so had one custom made last year and it fitted up great.
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Dads Alta is the only machine I have seen with the original switch still intact, most others were replaced.
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One of the mitre guides offered with the alta, a nice big guide but make sure the locating pin is in the table grove as a stop otherwise you will cut straight through it.
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Melbourne Matty.
C & H variable speed motors.
A modern solution to an old problem.
The C & H variable speed unit.
Charles and Hunting.
Sydenham St, Highett, Victoria
A two page sheet with price list and ratios from 1952 saved from Civ Eng Usyd.
I have 2 of these units one on a wood lathe and the other destined for a big single disc sander.
C & H also made a nice morticer have a photo somewhere in the pile and when I get the computer to talk to the net again and the scanner ditto to the computer I will post it and the early Wadkin stuff I mentioned in an earlier post.
H.
